


Your Eyes Will Lead Me Back Home

by ProblematicFavesAreProblematic (SaritaNotSerena)



Category: Band of Brothers (TV 2001)
Genre: Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Cunnilingus, F/M, Fluff, Friends With Benefits, Friends to Lovers, Infidelity, Lap Sex, Semi-Public Sex, Sexual Tension, Smut, Threesome - F/M/M, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-17 02:10:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28841436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaritaNotSerena/pseuds/ProblematicFavesAreProblematic
Relationships: Charles Grant/Reader, Floyd Talbert/Reader, Joseph Liebgott/Reader, Joseph Liebgott/Reader/Charles Grant
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	Your Eyes Will Lead Me Back Home

Despite having been with more women than he felt comfortable admitting, Floyd had to admit that the sight of you mewling for more underneath him might be the most erotic thing he’s ever seen.

The bunch of your back as you contorted in pleasure, the way your hand looked grasping at his pillow as you desperately searched for something to ground you. The way the hairs on the back of your neck had begun to curl with perspiration, knowing that he was the reason you were in such a state?

Heaven. Blindingly carnal. Smoldering Sin.  _ Heaven _ . 

You made him want to stretch sex out to almost  _ unrealistic _ lengths. He wasn’t sure what it was about you that had him refitting his normal MO of getting himself and his partner off as quickly and effectively as possible, but more often than not he found himself almost disappointed when he reached his end before he was ready to.

Maybe it was because you were one of the few women he saw every day (unlikely). Or maybe it had something to do with how you had been unattainable in his eyes for so long that got him going (he doubted that too).

But he never let himself ponder it too long, he couldn’t- not when the sex was this  _ intimate _ .

Despite the fact that you were currently letting him fuck you from behind, Floyd found himself almost preferring missionary or cowgirl. There was just something so rewarding in watching your face while fucking you- the microexpressions of pleasure and pain and smug pride that crossed your pretty face were unbelievably sexy. 

You were so stoic and professional in public that he’d automatically assumed you would be the same in bed- and he was frankly surprised just  _ how much  _ he loved using your expressions to find  _ exactly _ what made you break that composure he admired so much. 

He also got the feeling that you hadn’t had many partners who actively gave a shit about your pleasure enough to figure out the minutiae of it, and even  _ that _ served as another attractive aphrodisiac for him.

The best part, though?

You seemed to like sex nearly as much as he did.

Even now, as you clenched around him and begged for more more more, Tab knew that he was one of several men you sought out for sexual satisfaction. It made him feel safe- knowing that you weren’t solely relying on him. That sort of thing always ended in his partners wanting  _ more- _ a concept he wasn’t ready to consider at this point in his life.

But not you- you expected nothing more than this.

And for that very reason- he was determined to give you the best  _ this _ that he could.

The rarely-touched skin between your shoulder blades is salty on his tongue as he kisses it, a smile breaking through his lips when he feels the tell-tale shudder that wracks your body when you’re just about to come for him.

“ _ Ooh _ , “ he chuckles against your back, grinning even wider when he hears you whine a curse into the mattress. “I felt  _ that _ , Babydoll—”

“I-  _ shit _ , fucking  _ feel  _ **_you_ ** _ being smug _ , Tab—” you are cut off by your own moan as Floyd pinches your clit between his fingers. “ _ Bastard… _ ” 

“ _ You love it _ .” he insists, a groan of his own being pulled from his chest when one of your hands reaches back and over your head to grab a handful of his hair. The twist of your fingers at the root gives him that sweet edge of pain that  _ almost _ makes him forget that the whole reason this was still going on was because you hadn’t been able to cum with him earlier. 

But this is about you right now. He’s pretty confident that he’ll be able to finish himself off just watching you come down from your high- he’s done it before and he’s not afraid to do it again.

“Come on, Y/N,” he hisses as he drags his lips up your back until he can follow the slope of your neck to nibble at your earlobe. “Give it to me….let me hear Miss Too-Good-For-Anyone scream from my cock—”

“ _ Floyd _ ,” you warn, keening high in your throat when he takes his other hand from your hip to wrap promisingly around your throat. “I  _ can’t— _ ”

“Do. It.” he says with a light squeeze of his hand. “Fuckin’ come on my cock, let me feel—”

His voice fails him as you come apart, broken cries tumbling from your lips as he fucks you through your orgasm right into another one. If he could see your face he knows exactly how it would look- your eyes wide and unseeing while your lips part helplessly as you go blind from pleasure.

The very thought has him ripping himself out of you just in time to spill his load on your thigh, his face scrunching as he takes his hand from your throat and pumps the rest of his cum from his body.

When he throws himself down beside you, you’ve already rolled over and are struggling to catch your breath as you stare up at the ceiling of the bunkhouse you had all to yourself.

He loved seeing you like that, made pride burn hot in his chest and a stupid smile break across his face.

When you turn to look at him you start to giggle.

“I’m not sure if it’s normal for someone to get this giddy each time they have sex….especially with someone they’ve fucked before— _ hey! _ ”

You squeal in weak protest as he pulls you until you’re curled against his side and peppers beaming kisses across your face. He’d never really been one for sticking around after sex, but that had soon become yet another thing that he found himself doing because of you.

Only with  _ you _ , though. Not that he’d tell you that.

He wondered if you lingered afterward with any of your other guys.

You catch his mouth with yours and give him a deep, slow kiss that only increases his fondness for you. As you pulled back you smoothed his hair off of his forehead and gave him a soft smile.

“Hey,” you mumble, your blinking lazy and your eyes kind.

Floyd rests his hand on your cheek and brushes his thumb over your bottom lip.

“ _ Hey _ .”

At the next brush of his thumb on your lip you gently take it between your teeth, laughing when he jokingly glares at you.

“No pressure,” you say after giving the pad of his thumb a quick kiss and nuzzling your face into his neck. “But I think I’m gonna fall asleep soon- if you wanted to stay—”

With an overly dramatic sigh he rolls so he’s now lying atop you, reaching behind his back and utilizing his feet to blindly pull the blankets bunched at the foot of the bed up and over your bodies. When you press a kiss to his head he knows you’re smirking at his antics.

“Should I take that as a yes—?”

“You should take it as a _fuck_ _yes_ ,” he grumbles, wrapping an arm around your torso to anchor you beneath him. “Now shut up, i’m trying to sleep on the world’s best body pillow.”

You snort at that, readjusting yourself beneath him slightly and sighing deeply once you’ve made yourself comfortable.

“This body pillow would like to remind her sleeper that  _ she _ isn’t the one who talks in their sleep…”

“The reminder is noted and will be forwarded to the appropriate parties. Now go to sleep- i’ll race you.”

As you slept beneath him- hand knotted softly in his hair and legs tangled beneath the blankets, Tab had to admit that he could see some of the plus sides to a monogamous relationship. He always slept better with you than he did when he was alone, and even though he never  _ slept  _ with any of his other conquests, he had a feeling that it wouldn’t be the same.

Again, he wouldn’t ever tell you that. Not when he’d finally found someone who could fill the roles of close friend, coworker, and lover as gracefully and perfectly as you did.

Especially one who wasn’t fazed by the knowledge that he wasn’t a one woman type of guy.

Only an idiot would do anything to risk that.

~

In the end,  _ he’d _ been the idiot to fuck it all up.

Despite the mutual understanding that neither of you were going to be faithful to the other, there had been one hard and fast rule that you’d established before you would allow him to even see you naked:

_ Don’t fuck any close friends. _

If he could agree to that, then you were willing to maintain this arrangement for as long as he wanted.

Tab, so hard for you that it almost hurt, had agreed right away. And once he was able to think of something else other than fucking you, he’d asked for you to agree to the same.

Which you had. Because you were the sort of level-headed, considerate, respectful person Floyd only wished he could be. And because you are better than him, you’d held up your end of the bargain.

Floyd wished he could say the same.

Franny wasn’t only your close friend- she was your  _ childhood  _ **_best_ ** _ friend _ . You’d signed on as a medic and she was a nurse, so even in Toccoa you were attached at the hip. The two of you were basically sisters and everyone knew that.  _ He _ knew that.

Not that that stopped him- well, not for  _ long _ .

Fran was your equal in every single way but one- she had fucking  _ gift _ when it came to sucking cock. Like, if there were such a thing as a patron saint of fellatio, it would be her. She was  _ that good _ .

And, to make matters worse, she had a kink for public sex. A kink that was  _ just filthy enough _ to keep Tab coming back time and time again.

He knew it wasn’t fair, especially because you’d admitted that Skinny had made you several offers and you’d turned down each one in respect for Floyd’s wishes. He should’ve told you about it then, but he lost his nerve when you’d kissed him sweetly because you’d mistaken his anxious silence as jealousy.

He hated himself for it, but he just couldn’t stop. Because he was  _ selfish _ .

Tab was able to keep it from you for six months, much longer than he thought he’d be able to. Looking back, he’d gotten too confident in his ability to juggle you and his secret hookups with Fran. He’d forgotten just how observant you were

He’d been balls deep inside you, pinning your wrists above your head and pressing his forehead against yours so he could breathe your soft gasps deep into his lungs- the sound feeding the beast inside of him that couldn’t seem to get enough of you. Overwhelmed, you’d turned your head to the side and groaned when he descended on your neck with both tongue and teeth.

That’s when you saw the bracelet resting atop his footlocker.

It was the same bracelet that was currently being pressed into your skin with his calloused hand. The matching friendship bracelet you and Franny had bought together sometime in high school.

When you turned back to look at him, he’d been disturbed to see the look of shock on your face, the hurt obvious in the furrow of your brow.

“ _ You’re Bunny _ .” you’d said, the nickname Franny had begun to refer to him as making his blood run cold as it echoed in his ears.

Oh  _ shit _ .

You’d shoved him off of you so quickly he’d gotten whiplash, his cock painfully hard and feeling cold at the sudden loss of your heat. He dumbly watches you as you scramble to get dressed, your face growing red as you bite the insides of your cheeks- something you do whenever you’re trying to keep yourself from saying what you’re really feeling.

Once he’s able to shake himself from his shock, he instantly starts to try and get you to forgive him.

“Y/N,  _ wait— _ ”

“ _ Shut up Floyd _ ,” you aren’t looking at him tucking your shirt into your pants as you start looking for your shoes and socks. “Shut the  _ fuck _ up—”

“I’m sorry!” he insists, moving so he’s sitting on the edge of the bed and reaching his hand out to touch your hip. “ _ Babydoll— _ ”

You smack his hand away the moment it brushes against you, whirling around to level him with a seething glare. “Don’t you  _ dare _ fucking call me that, Floyd Talbert. You’re never allowed to call me that,  _ fucking _ pig—”

You cut yourself off so you can knock the bracelet off of the footlocker so you can put on your socks and shoes, shaking your head in disappointed amazement at the revelation.

“One thing, Floyd- I asked for one fucking thing and you couldn’t even manage that—”

“Babyd- _ Y/N _ , let’s talk about this,” he has never been one to talk about his feelings, but the thought of you hating him has him feeling scared and panicky. “I’m  _ sorry _ , I wasn’t thinking,  _ it was a mistake—! _ ”

“A  _ six month _ long mistake?” you scoff ruefully, your movements angry and aggressive as you quickly tie your boots. “Unbelievable. I’m so fucking  _ stupid— _ ”

Tab hates this, he can’t bear to hear you turning his selfishness into any sort of self-deprecation. Despite the fact that you’ve made it clear that you don’t want him to touch you, and despite the fact that he’d buck-ass naked, he rushes forward to kneel before you and rest his hands on your shoulders.

“Hey, don’t say that- you’re  _ not _ stupid,  _ please… _ .don't think it’s your fault—”

“I  _ don't _ ,” you say sharply, quickly taking his wrists in your hands and pushing them back at him so you can stand up. “I don’t even blame _you_ , if anything I blame  _ myself _ for thinking you would stick to the agreement.”

As you step around him, Tab’s throat feels tight with rejection. Turning to watch you shrug into your coat, you pause and sigh.

“She’s  _ in love with you _ , Tab.”

The words only add to the sickness in his stomach. He’d been worried about that himself.

You close your eyes and swallow a few times before speaking again. 

“Don’t tell her about  _ this _ , about  _ me _ . There’s no need to make her suffer….not with something like this.”

Once you open your eyes, an expression of resolve has settled over your face- an expression that often colored your face when you were dealing with things you found unpleasant. It hurt, knowing that he now fell into that category.

“She thinks she lost that bracelet. You better give it back to her before she gets any more upset.”

Without bothering to give him another look, you turn on your heel and leave the bunkhouse, not even slamming the door on your way out.

Floyd stared at the door with shaking hands and a dry mouth, his body feeling unbearably cold. He was used to being the one to end things, to leave someone once they’d asked for too much. But now that he was the one being left behind?

Tab realizes that this is one of the worst feelings in the worst. This must be what heartbreak feels like.

He hates it.

~

You only prove how much better of a person you are than him but staying friends with him.

You didn’t treat him any differently other than the fact that you refused to be alone with him. Which hurts, a lot more than he thought it was.

Tab stops seeing Franny shortly after you’d left him, and because he can’t bear the thought of insulting you further he makes sure to be as gentle as he can about it. Not that that made up for what he’d done. And he was sure you judged him for filling the hole you’d left behind with two more local girls- one of which had har similar to yours and the other’s voice somewhat reminiscent of yours. Despite the familiarity he found in them, Floyd still didn’t stick around after fucking them.

Floyd didn’t linger with any of the girls after you- not that he’d done that with girls before or during you either. That was something he only could do with you. He couldn’t replace that even if he tried.

~

Since landing in Normandy, you’d started seeking him out at night.

Nothing sexual, you’d made that perfectly clear. Just sleeping. Tab was more than happy to agree to that.

He knew he slept better, knowing you were safe and by his side.

The two of you fit together as you always had- like puzzle pieces, like two cogs in a perfectly tuned clock. The feeling of your back against his front had him feeling complete, despite the fear and anxiety that haunted him and all of you since the war had begun.

When he couldn’t sleep Floyd would find himself studying you as you slept- watching as your skin grew paler and dirty, your cheeks becoming sunken and all of your soft curves growing sharper from the subpar diet you all were sustaining yourselves on. But what hadn’t changed was how peaceful you looked as you slept. The sight of you at ease never failed to make his chest feel tight and his worries go away for a little while.

The fact that you still felt safe with him gave him a sense of pride- something that he found incredibly important in this war that left him feeling so powerless.

As the company moved to more frontline positions, he found himself relieved that you and Gene were being kept further away in a place of relative safety. While not having you by his side was a definite loss- Tab felt better knowing that you were out of harm's way. At least as much as you could be.

He saw less and less of you as time went on, the sheer amount of injuries and patrols resulting in your rare free times falling out of sync with the rare exception of mealtimes. Floyd saw the weight that sat heavily on your shoulders, the fatigue in your eyes and half-hearted smiles breaking his heart. 

Of course, he probably didn’t look much better. 

He wondered if you’d ever be able to sleep beside him again, but tried not to let it linger for too long- afraid that thinking about it could jinx it somehow.

~

When he got stabbed in France his first thought, after “ _ holy shit this hurts, what was Smith thinking?’ _ , was for you. 

Who was going to tell you that he was dying?

As it turned out, you were going to find out about his injury yourself.

Both you and Roe had come running at the cry for _medic_ , quick to stop the bleed and spirit him to the impromptu aid station a safe distance from the frontline. The entire journey over, your eyes had bounced between his wound and his face, the panic on your face almost making  _ him _ want to comfort  _ you _ .

At the aid station, in the light of the lanterns, you’d been quick to tear his shirt open while tearing a packet of sulfa powder open with your teeth. It stung,  _ good God _ it burned far more than he expected it to, and when he tried to wriggle away from it you instantly abandoned his stomach to use your weight to hold his shoulders down- Gene Roe moving to take your place like a well-oiled machine.

“It  _ fucking _ hurts!” he hissed through gritted teeth, sweat beading on his face from the pain of it all. Your hands are stained with his blood as you bring them up to pet at his face soothingly, wincing with him as Gene continues to work on him. 

“Shh, I know Honey, _ I know— _ ” you murmur, your elbows still pinning his shoulders down as you lean your chest on him to keep him still. “It’s not deep,  _ you’re going to be okay Tab… _ ”

Despite the white-hot pain in his stomach, he can swear he sees tears in your eyes as you look down on him.

“You gotta slow your breathing down, Baby.  _ We’ve _ gotta slow your heart rate, you’ve got too much blood pumping right now—” You cut yourself off, a look of determination crossing your face. “Gene, don’t look up here for a sec…”

He’s vaguely aware of Gene muttering something further down his body, but before the medic or Tab can ask you for an explanation, you lower your head and kiss him lightly on the lips.

Jesus, he hadn’t been expecting  _ that _ .

You rest your forehead against his as you tell him to sync his breathing with yours, and for some reason he’s able to do as you say despite the feeling of Roe prodding around the layer of muscle beneath his skin. 

“Good, good boy,” you whisper before you press your mouth to his once more, taking his bottom lip between yours and brushing your tongue against it softly. “It’s going to be okay, we’re gonna take care of it.  _ Breathe _ .”

As he opens his lips and deepens the kiss, you sigh beautifully into his mouth, allowing him to bring a hand up and cup the back of your head. Floyd feels delirious- the feeling of your lips against his possibly the most important accomplishment of his life up until now. 

For the first time in his life, he is content with this slow, languid pace of kissing. The delicate feeling of your fingers tracing his hairline brings forth more emotion than he wants, but that still doesn’t stop him from bringing his other hand up to touch the middle of your back- a place he remembered tasting and kissing as clearly as if he’d just done it that morning.

He’s so distracted that he doesn’t feel the prick of the morphine needle in his arm until the hand on your back heavily slips down to his side, the sudden weight he feels settling upon him making him instantly think that you’d been lying when you said that he was going to be okay.

Almost as if you can read his mind, you give him one more quick peck before pulling back enough to meet his drooping eyes.

“It’s just morphine, Tab. You’re not dying.”

You guide the hand that was on the back of your head up above his head, brushing your thumb along the inside of his wrist while giving him a soft smile.

“Sleep, Floyd, it’s okay,” your voice is starting to sound thick in his ears, each blink becoming heavier and heavier. “ _ I’ll be here when you wake up, I promise…. _ ”

“ _ That was incredible _ ,” he hears Doc say in disbelief. “ _ How’d ya know it’d work? _ ”

He can hear the sad smile in your voice when you reply.

“ _ Lucky guess, I suppose. Seemed like the sort of thing he’d find comfort in…. _ ”

He feels a tear slip past one of his closed eyelid and trickle down his temple. Then he feels no more.

~

You’d kept your promise. You were there when he woke up.

Unfortunately, you weren’t able to stay long- so Floyd wasn’t able to ask you if the kiss was real or not.

Once he’d healed, he’d gone back to the frontlines, something he knew he was lucky to be able to do. Especially having seen the state of the other people at the aid station as he’d left. And even though he’d been disappointed that you hadn’t made more time for him, he could see how badly you were obviously needed.

Luckily, he found distraction in both battle and in the camaraderie of his friends. You were safe, and that’s all he needed.

In his free time, whenever he was given a pass and found himself in a town- he found more blissful distraction with the local women.

Sex gave back to him some of the power the war had taken away. It was something he knew he could do and the satisfaction of watching whatever woman he’d gone home with that night come apart beneath him, and he’d be lying if he said it didn’t boost his ego.

There was a reason all of the guys had adopted Franny’s old nickname for him- _ Bunny. _

You didn’t seem too happy with him, but whenever he or someone else noticed the scowl on your face and commented on it, you’d shrug and raise an eyebrow challengingly.

“ _ I didn’t stitch him back up just for him to fuck it up with a sex related accident. Don’t come crying to me when you split a stitch mid-coitus…. _ ”

Tab didn’t push the issue, a strange feeling of resentment towards you having formed in his gut as well. Why were you pissed, when  _ you’d _ been the one to kiss him in the first place?

Also, you knew what he was like, what his vices were. It wasn’t his fault if you’d changed your mind about being cool with it.

The few nights when you both were free, you’d started sleeping in the foxhole that Liebgott and Grant shared- something that only added to the smoldering, bubbling feeling in his gut that he refused to label as jealousy.

Jealousy would imply that you were his, or that he wanted you to be his. He constantly was trying to smother the mocking voice in the back of his head that reminded him that, at one time- had he  _ wanted _ you to be- you could’ve been his. You probably would’ve been his alone, had he asked….had he  _ wanted _ to ask.

But he hadn’t asked. And you weren’t.

And maybe that was for the best.

~ 

Eindhoven was more of a block party. It reminded Floyd of the Fourth of July parades from back home, and the excitement in the air was contagious.

The fact that he’d found something pretty to occupy his mind didn’t hurt, either.

Adriana writhed on his lap prettily as he clutched at her, her lipstick smearing across his lips with each greedy pull he took from her lips. Floyd liked that she encouraged him to mess up her makeup, it made his cock hard and his palm itch to grip her hips _ harder, harder. _

Peacock’s interruption startled him enough that his arousal was scared back into hiding, and when he popped up to go he made sure to duck another kiss on Adriana’s lips.

When he turned around to follow after his Lieutenant, he was horrified to see you standing there with wide eyes and your mouth open in shock.

_ Oh hell, he really wished you hadn’t had to see that. _

“Shit,  _ Y/N _ ….I’m _so sor—_ ”

Before he can say anything else, you snap your jaw closed and bite the inside of your cheeks.

“We’ve gotta go,  _ Sergeant _ . You heard Peacock…”

A voice barks your names somewhere further down the crowd, and with the sound of it you are able to shake off your hurt expression and give him a tight grin.

“C’mon,” you say, giving him an equally tight nod. “Last thing either of us needs is a lecture….”

As he follows behind you, he makes sure to grip the back of your belt so you don’t get swept up in the throng of cheering people, both of you already being jostled and touched and shouted enough as it was.

Several men made attempts to kiss you, something Tab wasn’t afraid to bark at them for despite not knowing a word of Dutch. Only one or two try to force a kiss to your face, but luckily you weren’t afraid to shove them aside and keep moving. Floyd liked how tough you had become- it reassured him that you knew how to take care of yourself without needing to be saved all the time.

Suddenly, you come to a dead stop and he narrowly avoids running into you.

“What?” he shouts, the chanting crowd in front of you so loud he can barely hear himself. “Are you okay? What’s the matter— _ shit!” _

In front of you is a circle of screaming men, women, and children- their faces red from exertion as they watch a group of women being shorn like sheep and stripped before them. Some are bleeding from the carelessness of the people cutting their hair, and several more have obvious marks on their skin from groping hands forcibly tearing their clothes away.

His blood freezes in his veins and his stomach churns in horror.

When he realizes that two men have just brought Adriana into the circle and shoved her onto her knees, Tab feels the blood drain from his face.

He’s so distracted by the scene that you’re able to yank yourself free from his grip and begin to march forward, the set of your shoulders making it clear that you were a woman on a mission.

Panic stains his heart as you are swallowed by the crowd, a cold fear chilling his spine and shocking him into action. He had to find you.

The idea of you trying to take on all of these angry people fills him with an unbearable dread. 

“Y/N?” He shouts, plunging into the crowd after you and hating how loud it’s become. “ _ Y/N? _ ! Where are you?”

His heart is in his throat. How could he have lost the love of his life in the blink of an eye—

_ Woah. Wait a minute. Did….did he just think of you as the love of his….? _

_ Oh fuck _ , he thought as he yanked people out of his way. _ I‘m fucking in love with her, aren’t I? _

Just as he starts to process what that means, he catches sight of Bull barrelling his way. Tab is about to open his mouth to tell Bull that you were missing, he realizes that the man is pulling you behind him by the arm.

_ Oh, thank fuck. Oh, thank God. You’re safe… _

Your face is red as you scream at the back of Bull’s head, face twisted in a snarl as you try to pull yourself free. Floyd rushes to meet the two of you, just getting his hands up in time to catch you when Bull shoves you into his arms.

“ _ Get her out of here before she gets herself killed! _ ”

Bull has already disappeared into the crowd by the time Tab can fully process what the other man had said. You’re trying to shove yourself away from him and when he wraps an arm around your waist you screech in rage.

“Let me  _ go _ , Talbert! Someone _needs to stop it—!_ ”

Floyd says nothing to this, too focused on getting you as far away from the mobs of people as quickly as he possibly can.

When he manages to get the both of you to the tanks, you manage to yank yourself free of his grip and start shoving at him with more violence than he’d expected you to be capable of.

“Y/N, knock it off!” He snaps, unsuccessfully trying to catch your hands as they punch and hit at his face and chest. “It was for your own good—”

Your face has a sheen of sweat from your exertion, and when you finally do stop he sees that there are tears rolling down your cheeks.

Panting for breath, you start shaking your head disappointedly. 

“You’re a  _ monster _ , Floyd Talbert!” The sound of your cry has a few people turning to look at the two of you, something that has Tab gritting his teeth and trying to think of a way to calm you down.

But when he tries to quietly shush you, you shove him again.

“Fuck you, _ fuck you _ ! You heartless fucking  _ child—  _ you really don’t care about  _ anyone _ other than yourself, do you?” your voice has started to waiver, and Tab instantly knows you’re talking about something far more than him taking you away from the mob. 

“That girl was looking for someone to save her, she was _ literally  _ looking  _ to  _ **_you_ ** for help and you just  _ stared at her _ while those beasts shamed her for something _ she probably had no say in!”  _ your hands smack against his chest, making him step back a little from the strength of it _ “ _ Using  _ sex _ to feed your fragile ego...are you really  _ so empty inside _ that you don’t feel  _ anything _ for the women you sleep with?!”

Before Tab can begin to think of a reply, Joe Liebgott and Chuck Grant join you both- both of their faces twisted into scowls that they’re directing solely on Floyd.

“The fuck’s going on here, Y/N?” Joe snaps, and Tab watches Grant turn to you and put his hands on your shoulders. Chuck is murmuring something to you softly, trading his frown for a look of tight concern as he wipes at the angry tears drying on your cheeks.

When Tab tries to step around Liebgott to get a better read on what Grant is saying to you, Joe steps in front of him and jabs a stopping hand on Floyd’s chest.

“No  _ way _ , Tab,” Joe’s glare is acidic. “You’re done, you’ve clearly done enough—!”

“Fuck you, Liebgott! This is none of your business —!”

Tab’s voice dies in his throat when Joe’s angry expression suddenly drops, and just when Tab thinks he’s convinced the other man to fuck off, Joe’s face brightens and a slow, wicked grin breaks across his lips. Taking his hand from Tab’s shoulder, Joe straightens up and lets his head tilt back enough that he’s looking down his nose at Floyd smugly.

“Oh, it’s  _ definitely _ my business…. “

Something heavy sinks in Floyd’s gut, and he feels his heart start to beat rapidly in his chest.

“What the  _ fuck _ is that supposed to mean?” Tab hisses. “What are you—?”

“ **_Talbert! Get over here!”_ **

The two men turn their heads to see Lip waving his arm at them, with Joe recovering first and smirking at Tab.

“You heard Mother,  _ get over there _ . And don’t worry,” Joe gives him a wink when Tab glares back at him. “Chuck and I will take good care of  _ our girl. _ ”

Dumbstruck, Tab can only watch as Chuck shoots a glare his way and takes your hand, anxiety hitting him like a freight train when you easily follow.

With a final wink, Liebgott turns and jogs to catch up with you and Chuck. From the left, Tab hears Lipton shout his name again.

With a heavy heart, he turns as well and hustles to join Carwood by one of the tanks.

He tries not to think too hard about what Liebgott said, but the words still echo in his head while Lip gives him instructions.

_ Our girl...we’ll take care of  _ **_our_ ** _ girl…. _

_ If this is what being in love feels like then I’m not sure I want it. _

_ ~ _

He’d been on a night patrol when he heard a sound coming from the aid station tent.

It sounded like a small cry, which didn’t make sense to Floyd because, as far as he knew, no one had been hurt recently.

Then a terrible thought crossed his mind: what if someone was hurting  _ you _ in there?

Gripping his rifle, Tab crept towards the closed flap at the entrance of the tent, adrenaline beginning to make his senses sharpen in preparation for a fight. The whimpering sound from before happens again, and Tab positions himself so he can peek in between the space between the entrance flap and the canvas wall of the tent.

And immediately wishes he hadn’t.

There, inside the warm glow of the tent, Tab sees Chuck Grant- kneeling in front of you and curling one of your thighs over his shoulder as he audibly licked and suckled at your sex. You had your hands braced on the table just behind his head, your grip white-knuckled and flexing as another keening gasp is ripped from your chest.

Behind you stood Joe Liebgott, his arms wrapped around you and cupping your breasts under your shirt while his chin is hooked over your shoulder so he can whisper into your ear. Floyd doesn’t know what Joe is saying, but whatever it is it has you arching into his touch and ripping silent moans from your kiss-swollen lips.

_ Oh shit, this fucking stung. _

While some logical part of him knew that he had no right to get upset- you didn’t know that he’d figured out how in love with you he was at the time you probably hated him most- but the emotional part of him was livid, no,  _ heartbroken _ .

So why couldn’t he look away?

It was like he felt when he was a young man and his mother drove past a car wreck on the way home- it was something he knew he shouldn’t ogle at but there was still enough morbid curiosity that Floyd didn’t want to look away.

Maybe part of him wanted to feel the hurt he was currently feeling? Maybe he deserved this for all the hurt he’d put you through.

Or maybe he was so stupidly in love with you that, even when  _ he _ wasn’t the one giving you pleasure, he couldn’t bear to look away as you fell apart so beautifully.

One of your hands leaves the table to card through Grant’s hair, his name a coo as if slips past your lips. Tab can see Chuck break away from you and grin up at you, his thumb coming up to take the place of his tongue as he opens his mouth when you do, almost mocking your expression of pleasure when you whimper for him again.

“Does that feel good?” Chuck’s voice is a low rumble that Tab can only  _ just _ make out. “Is this making it all better, Sweetness?”

Liebgott nudges your face with his own until he can seal his mouth to yours, smiling when you break away for air and nod stupidly in response to Chuck’s question. Joe keeps lis lips against your cheek, one of his hands sliding down your stomach to slap the lips of your sex before rubbing at your mons apologetically. 

“Perfect girl, fuckin’  _ made for this _ ,” Joe says against your skin, quickly turning your head for a messy kiss as Chuck grips your hips and seals his mouth to your sex once more. “You were made to be fucked, to feel this good all the time….”

Suddenly, Joe’s eyes flicker towards Tab- the wind having blown the door flap open enough to reveal him for enough fleeting seconds that Joe catches sight of him.

Tab’s blood runs cold, but rather than the embarrassing revelation being called out to either you or Grant, Joe just smirks and nips at your ear.

“ _ You’re too good for that piece of shit- you know that, don’t you Gorgeous? _ ”

You start to make a sound of protest but Joe reaches up and covers your mouth with his hand, effectively snuffing out the sound. Joe’s other hand comes up to his lips so he can wet his fingers before moving down to your bare backside and disappearing.

“ _ Talbert has no idea what he’s lost, does he Chuckie? _ ”

Chuck doesn’t reply, only giving a slight grunt as your hips jump in pleasure when a sudden ripples through your body.

The widening of your eyes gives Tab enough information to know that Joe’s touching a place you normally don’t explore with lovers, the sound of your moan making Tab’s jaw clench with a possessive jealousy. When you and he were still sleeping together, you’d been shy about having him play with that part of your body, turning bright red the first time he’d brushed his finger over your asshole as you’d ridden him into the mattress. 

Tab had always respected that boundary. It was only when you shyly gave him permission to do so that he’d introduced you to the overwhelming sensation that a well-lubed finger could add to your orgasms.

Floyd worried that Liebgott had been less patient in that regard.

Your breathing has become sharp, your eyes scrunched shut as your body shudders and your other hand comes to knot in CHuck’s hair. Liebgott moans into your shoulder, hissing something about how tight you’re squeezing his finger.

Tab seethes quietly.

“ _ Did he ever make you feel like this? Was he able to get you this desperate and wet—? _ ”

You turn your face enough to free your mouth. “ _ Don’t _ ask me that,  _ oh _ ! I’m  _ not _ telling you—”

Joe, nodding at your statement, brings his other hand behind you and Tab hears the other man’s belt chime as he frees himself from his pants. “ _ Think you can take it, Y/N _ ? Think you can take  _ more… _ .?”

Tab rips himself away from the tent, his breathing heavy and his head thudding with frustration and rage. He can’t watch anymore, despite how beautiful you look when you’re lost in pleasure.

He didn't even realize that Shifty is calling his name until he feels Shift’s hand tapping his shoulder.

“You okay, Tab? You look like you’ve seen a ghost!”

Shifty had no idea how close he was to the truth.

Because Floyd Talbert had never felt more haunted.

~

Floyd Talbert had never been so cold in his entire life.

Bastogne was painfully cold, and thanks to General Taylor and his remarkable incompetence when it came to budgeting, everyone was woefully underdressed for the frigid weather.

And as if the chill didn’t cause him enough pain, Winters had assigned Tab and you to the same foxhole. 

It had been a while since the two of you had spent any significant amount of time together, and the tension between you both was almost as thick as the fog that had settled over the forest. Any time you caught him looking at you from the opposite end of the trench, you’d offer a tight smile before letting your head fall back against the wall of the foxhole and sighing deeply. 

Despite the heartbreak he’d been holding since seeing you with Grant and Liebgott, Tab still couldn't find it in himself to hate you. The same couldn’t be said for Joe and Chuck, but that was a different matter entirely.

No, even after having seen you barely dressed and being pleasured between two men- neither of which were  _ him-  _ Floyd still knew that he was in love with you. Even if it hurt him to admit it.

Thanks to the long periods of time between barrages, Tab found himself falling into a strange and uncharacteristically introspective state of mind. He started to think more about you, and how what you had been doing with Liebgott and Grant was no worse than what he’d done to you back in Toccoa-  _ no _ , what he’d been doing to you up until Eindhoven.

You were easy to love, easy to  _ want _ and he couldn’t fully blame anyone who got lost in your unintentional charm and undeniable luster. You had every right to seek comfort from whomever you wanted, and Tab now understood that he’d been the one to ruin what the two of you had once shared by breaking your one (completely fair) request.

You had no way of knowing that he’d changed, that he’d come to realize that what he felt for you was more than desire or lust or even self-indulgent pride. The fault lies with him and him alone- it always had, ever since he’d slept with Franny. 

Each morning when he woke up, lips trembling from the cold and body sore from the tight position he’d curled himself into, he would look at you and promise himself that he’d tell you all the things he wanted to say- that he was sorry. That you meant the world to him. How he really was a monster who used women to fill the emptiness inside of his chest.

But by nightfall, you came back so tired and drained that he couldn’t bring himself to give you anything more to think about. 

It was hard watching, you grow paler and gaunter from malnutrition. Acne speckled your face, the skin around your eyes dark from exhaustion and your lips pale and cracking from the cold. The worst signs of war were taking their toll on your hands- the knuckles and tendons so pronounced that it made your hands look skeletal, like you were a walking corpse. Your shoulders sagged so heavily that he worried that you were causing yourself some sort of muscular damage from slouching.

Tab only wished you trusted him enough to let him hold some of the weight of your burdens for you. 

One night, as he strode back to your shared foxhole, he arrived in time to see Joe Liebgott leaving the trench and brushing himself off.

_ “ _ Thanks for the treat, Gorgeous. Really hit the spot _.” _

Floyd stops midstep, heart dropping into his stomach at the sight.

Joe, already having started walking away, hears the crunch of snow beneath Tab’s boot and turns to look at him. A smug expression settles over his face, and Tab’s hands fist at his side as Joe brings his first and middle finger up to his mouth and sucks on them.

The implication was clear, but because Liebgott was nothing less than an asshole he walked over to stand before him, pulling his fingers from between his lips with a wet pop sound.

“Our girl’s pretty sweet, ain’t she Tabby? Tastes like a goddamn  _ dream….” _

Floyd grits his teeth, shoving past Joe- much to the other man’s amusement. 

He can hear Joe’s cackle as he steps down into the foxhole, stomach feeling sick as he tries to process the fact that you and Joe still were hooking up.

Tab expects to see you all fucked-out and melted in your corner of the hole. He expects to smell the tart scent of you in the air that’s settled in the trench….

But when he plops into his corner, he’s shocked by the fact that he doesn’t.

In fact, you’re  _ also _ not satedly slumped on the opposite side to his.

If anything, you’re more alive than he’s seen you in a long time.

Your eyes are bright when they find his, and the smile that breaks across your lips throws him for a loop. Before he can ask, you’ve scooted over to sit next to him until your knees are touching his.

“Floyd, you’re not gonna  _ believe _ what Lip managed to get for me on his last pass!”

The relief is overwhelming when you produce a small jar filled with a golden and thick syrup. If Tab didn’t know any better, he could swear it’s-

“When was the last time you saw _ real honey!?” _

If he wasn’t already in love with you, he definitely would be right now. 

He hasn't seen you this excited about anything in a long time. He hasn’t seen you this excited in his presence for even longer.

Tab is so distracted by how adorable you’re being right now that he doesn’t realize that you’ve been happily babbling the whole time.

“...maybe in Paris, but certainly not since then! I had to beat Lieb back with a stick, he was so fucking greedy! I let him hold it for one second and next thing I know he’s got his fingers in the jar like a goddamned child and—!”

You suddenly cut yourself off, quickly unlatching the lid and reaching out to take his hand.

“God, Tab- you’ve got to have some, it’s so good!”

With icy fingers, you manipulate his hand so you can dip his first two fingers into the honey. You nod encouragingly as he scoops the dripping substance out of the jar, a grin as you watch him quickly put his fingers into his mouth so the honey doesn’t drip.

It’s so sweet and achingly familiar that it almost makes him want to cry. It reminds him of the sweetness of the peaches from his grandmother’s tree in the summer, of fresh pie and cherries and sunshine.

You smile at him, and he feels awash in the glow of your joy. “You can have another if you promise not to tell anyone else about it.”

Your eyes follow his hand as he slowly dips his fingers into the honey again, watching as he takes them from the jaw with keen interest. 

_ God, he loves you so much it’s distracting _

So distracting that he’s forgotten to be mindful of the dripping syrup.

“Tab!” you nearly giggle, bringing your other hand up to catch the globs of syrup that are sliding down his hand. “You stuck or something…?”

When you turn your gaze back to his, you both realize just how close your faces are and you let your admonishment trail off in favor of inhaling sharply. 

Floyd takes in the lines and planes of your face, eyes flowing with the contours and planes with a familiar ease. Now you’re the one who seems to be stuck, your own gaze seeming to be doing the same with his.

Carefully, wanting to give you a chance to pull away if you wanted to, Tab uses his clean hand to bring your now honeyed hand up to his lips. 

When he sighs your name in question, you minutely nod, too engrossed in the scene unfolding before you. Your own lips have parted as your breathing becomes heavy.

Tab drags his tongue across your palm, tasting the sweetness of the honey and the salt of your skin. Your breath shakily washes over his face as you exhale forcefully. As his eyes flick up to yours, he finds that you are watching him closely, hesitantly.

_ Headily _ .

With purposeful care Floyd sucks each of your fingers into his mouth, softly using his tongue to ensure each sticky drop is cleaned from the digit. Your eyelids are heavy over your eyes, the color painting your cheeks giving your skin a more healthy complexion. 

As Tab brings his own honey-soaked fingers to your lips, you part them further and grant him access to the warmth of your mouth, your eyes closing as you lave your tongue against the pads of his fingers.

_ Jesus Christ,  _ Floyd thought he was going to combust.

Despite the fact that you no longer have honey on your hand, Tab keeps your hand by his face and allows his heaving breaths to keep your fingers warm. Tab feels lost by the sensation of you sucking gently on his fingers, the furrow in your brow giving him the impression that you’re just as hopelessly out of your depth as he is.

When you open your eyes again, you put a hand on his wrist and pull his fingers from your mouth. Tab worries that you’ve changed your mind but to his pleasant surprise you keep don't pull away, don’t shove his hand away.

You just stare at him, eyes wide and lips parted.

“Y/N,” he sighs, retaking control of his hand by your face and cupping your cheek. “If you don’t want this to mean anything, I get it. But I really need to say—”

The shriek of a bomb soaring through the air has the both of you turning towards the sound just before a ground trembling explosion makes the world tremble around them.

**_“Get in your foxholes! Stay covered!”_ **

Tab can hear Lipton screaming from a distance, and he doesn’t hesitate to pull at you and reposition your body so you are crowded into his corner of the foxhole. Your hands are quick to yank his body into yours, wrapping your arms and legs around him until he’s tucked into the corner as well as the sound of shooting and more bombs pierce the delicate silence that had once enveloped the forest.

The ground shakes violently, and Tab feels dirt and the shattered splinters of pine needles and other debris falling over you and him like angry snowflakes. One of your hands smacks his helmet as you hold it onto his head, and when he cracks his eyes open he can see yours are tightly shut as you wince with each explosion.

Fuck, this was bad. Everything was getting worse and suddenly Tab was hit with the reality that there was no guarantee that either of you were going to make it through this war, let alone this night.

He shouts your name, and when you look up he can see a teary look in your eyes.

Aw hell, might as well return the favor.

When he smashes his mouth to yours he can feel you startle in his arms, a small sound vibrating in your chest at the suddenness of the kiss. Tab expects you to push him away, to smack him or kick him or spit in his face.

But you don't. You don’t do any of those things.

_ You kiss him back. _

You bring your hands to his cheeks and suck his bottom lip into your mouth, worrying it between your teeth and tilting your head to deepen it as he kisses you back just as feverishly. The moan you release into his mouth when he opens your lips with his has him swallowing the sound greedily and wrapping an arm around your waist.

His helmet is tossed aside as your hands card through his hair, humming into the kiss when he sits back and pulls you so you’re straddling his lap, the grin of your hips down onto his groin making his breath catch in his throat. 

“ _ Baby _ , are you  _ sure _ ?”

You shut him up with a feral kiss, sliding your hands down his chest to fumble with the zip of his pants. “I need you, Floyd-  _ fuck, _ I’ve missed you…”

Your hand is colder than he’s used to, but his body responds to your touch all the same. His heart warms at your breathy confession, and before he knows it he’s tearing at the fastening at your own pants and trying to figure out how to make this work.

This is obviously something you’ve been thinking about too, because somehow you’re able to work your pants and underwear down your thighs enough to permit you a bit more movement.

“ _ Condom _ ?” You ask, chuckling with a smile when he pulls one seemingly from thin air and watching him roll it down his shaft with a hungry look in your eyes

Fingers twist painfully in his hair as you press your unclothed sex against his cock, your eyes scrunching shut as you roll your hips so it rests between your lower lips, each cant of your pelvis wetting him in a show of your arousal.

“ _ Fuck _ , Jesus  _ fucking  _ **_Christ_ ** _ , _ you’re killing me—”

“Should I stop?”

When he takes your face between his hands you open your eyes and pant down at him. There's a high color in your cheeks and it momentarily stuns him.

“No,  _ God _ no!” Tab manages to grit out, yanking you down for another frantic kiss that leaves you both trembling with anticipation. “ _ Please _ , I gotta be inside you, I need to— **_fuck_ ** !”

The squeeze of you around him feels like coming home, and when he groans like a whore you seal your mouth to his to muffle the sound.

His hands on your hips encourage you to ride him, your breath hot and sweet on his face as you sigh and gasp prettily. You still feel too far away, and he remedies this by sliding one of his hands up the length of your spine to pull your head into his shoulder- the action bringing your chest down to press against his so tightly he swears he can feel your heartbeat through your layers of clothes.

You kiss at the sensitive patch of skin beneath his ear, his name slipping past your lips like some sort of prayer as you clutch at him.

_ “I missed you I missed you How could you hurt me like you did?” _

Your question is a fair one, and after licking his lips a few times he realizes that now is as good a time as any.

“ _ I missed you more I was wrong and I’m sorry that I hurt you I love you so much… _ ”

Your rocking stutters, and when you pull your face back to look at him there’s an expression of doubtful shock staining your previous expression of carnal arousal. “W-What did you just say?”

Tab, losing himself in his own pleasure, just nods up and you and swallows audibly.

“I said that I love you-  _ I fucking love you _ , Y/N, and I think I have for a long time—”

You’re shaking your head, still riding him but clearly distracted. 

“You- you don’t mean that—”

“But I do, I _ really do _ . I’m just-  **_shit,_ ** _ don’t stop squeezing me  _ **_like that_ ** \- I’m a fucking prick and not good at this sort of thing….”

Tab can see you grit your teeth as a violent shudder wracks you, and he knows you’re about to come- despite your clear confusion at his words.

“ _ Floyd _ , I—”

His own release is imminent, Tab is desperate to get you to believe him- even if it’s only a little bit. “I know you don't believe me, and that’s okay. Just, _ Jesus I can feel how close you are _ , let me try, let me show you—”

You shove your mouth to his, your body shaking as your orgasm begins to crest. 

“ _ Kiss me, _ ” you hiss between kisses. “Kiss me, Tab. I  _ need _ you to just—”

He’s quick to comply, just in time to swallow the small and breathless shriek you release as you come apart atop him. You’re as tight as a vise, leaving him no choice but to follow you over the edge as electricity jolts through his veins.

Tab doesn’t think he’s come this hard in his entire life.

You continue to grind against him as you lose control of your body, so lost in pleasure that you forget to breathe until he reminds you to.

Tab hasn’t felt this warm since Alderborne, his heart thudding so hard he wonders if it might explode. When you finally slump into him, he kisses down your face until he can bury his face into the heat on your neck.

“I love you,” he whispers. “ _ I love you, I love you, I’ve always loved you… _ ”

A sob-like whimper vibrates your throat, and as he kisses the damp skin as sweetly as he can.

When you pull back and look down at him, he sees the emotion soft in your eyes.

You put your hands on his cheeks and let your thumbs brush across his gaunt cheekbones. 

“I’m scared to believe you.”

Tab nods, having expected that sort of reaction. “I know, that’s okay- I’m still going to—”

**_“MEDIC! MEDIIIIIIC!”_ **

The cry startles you both, and it’s only because of the shout that you both realize that the barrage has stopped- it’s been over for a little while.

You curse under your breath as you pull him out of you, quickly yanking your pants and underwear back up with an ungraceful movement. Floyd catches you as you start to pitch forward when you lose your balance, and because your faces are so close together Floyd is quick to kiss your lips.

His heart soars when you kiss him back hastily before rolling off of his and gripping your med-bag and your gun.

“Be careful, please?” Tab murmurs as he takes the condom off and tucks himself back into his pants.

You give him a breathless smile as you crawl out of the foxhole. “Well, only because you asked so nicely.”

After a few stumbling steps, you’re off, running towards the screaming cry for help. Floyd slumps back, taking his first deep breath in what felt like hours.

He can’t believe that he’s finally said it, relief flooding his bloodstream along with the sex-releasing endorphins. Tab never once imagined that he’d confess his affection for someone, let alone in the middle of a war during a literal firefight. 

The only thing that doesn’t surprise him is that he’d fall for someone like you- no, not someone like you. He should've known he’d be a goner when he’d first met you, when he’d watched you hit one of the boys from Able company on the head with your clipboard while doing an intake health exam on the first day of boot camp after he’d decided to smack your ass when you’d turned around.

You were perfect. He’s been the idiot to miss just how perfect you were.

Most of his life, Tab had been a selfish idiot- with women especially.

For the first time in his life, he started to think that maybe he was starting to wise up.

_ About damn time.  _


End file.
